While reading this book from Penguin Random House Canada, I was deeply inspired by Toufah’s elasticity and her powerful voice in the memoir “Toufah-The Woman Who Inspired the #MeToo Movement in Africa”. rice field. Toufah Jallow is certainly a woman who makes history by confronting the dictator, so it seemed appropriate for her to have this book just in time for International Women’s Day. She grew up in a traditional Gambian apartment complex surrounded by many languages, cultures and communities. In such an environment, it was common to get married before finishing college, but her mother does not marry a man who already has her wife, as Tufa is fully educated and breaks her mold. I worked so hard.
Image via Pengiun RandomHouse Canada
“My grandmother was 13 and my mother was married at 16. Here I was 18 and still a high school girl. As is often the case, I was so close to my mother. I didn’t see my mother completely as a person. It will take a while for her and her grandmother to recognize the steps she took before her. She was as independent as she could and she was me. I made a step-by-step choice that allowed me to have more choices than I had at my age. “
Continue reading to find out more about the story of Toufah Jallow #MeToo. Toufah’s mother was apparently acclimatized, making sure her daughter was educated and she had her own ambitions. Dreaming of her scholarship, Toufah participated in and won a presidential contest designed to identify the wise young women of the country. The tenacity that her grandmother and her mother lived in their lives was the most intriguing to me, and also learned that Toufah owns her voice and stands up for herself. Regardless.
“Women in my family, and women in other families, have destroyed the power of men as much as possible. If possible, they have made choices for their own benefit. And the daughters have a little more power. It’s a place where we could create a world with more choices. Social and religious situations pushed them down. Their strength and they would move forward-and perhaps in these ways. They were more like Western feminist mothers and grandmothers than are often acknowledged. “
Toufah is not only bright and educated, but also smart and determined. After she won the pageant tournament and was sexually assaulted by then-President Yahya Jammeh, she fled the country of Gambia to Canada via Senegal to inspire enough courage to become her refugee. I can. This book about the story of Toufah Jallow #MeToo talks about the painful rape experience in both Canada and The Gambia, Toufah’s escape to life, and her battle for final justice.
The story of Toufah Jallow #MeToo is very important for all African women. In most African cultures, rape is an unspoken term, and victims are often silenced, accused, or accused of bringing such a situation to themselves. In some cases, rape survivors may even be punished by marrying a rape criminal to prevent shame and stigma. In this case, the woman’s attempt to speak out on her own is considered a resistance that could result in her husband’s appeal to her domestic violence and abuse.
Upon arriving in Canada, Tufa begins his life immediately, but always reminds us of the need to lead Jame to justice, claiming the rights of other women and girls who have had similar experiences with the past.
“From my own experience, telling young women that they can want to be, that is, focusing only on saying no if they want to say no, those illustrious ideals are in fact. It turns out to be dangerous in practice if it is not backed up by public support. Effective legislation and social structure to make abusers accountable. “
To this end, Toufah has established a foundation to support women’s safety and mental health. The book itself is an effort to bring awareness and action to the issues of rape and sexual harassment. After reading this book, it is advisable not to keep a copy as a necessity in your private library, whether African or not. Women who refuse to silence are powerful and remind us of the fierceness. Despite all the social pressures, Toufah uses her living experience to empower and liberate other women. This is very courageous.
Toufah is currently on the road to regaining the future that Yahya Jammeh tried to steal from her. In July 2019, Toufah returned to The Gambia and testified to him at a hearing. The hearing evoked a great deal of support under the hashtag #IAmToufah on protest marches and social media, encouraging many African women to share their powerful stories.
TOUFAH JALLOW Is an African rape prevention activist who influenced the #MeToo movement in West Africa. As her persuasive and calm speaker, she spoke to her home country on live television. She also spoke to reporters she also spoke to reporters such as the BBC, CBC, NPR, The New York Times, The Globe and Mail, Guardian, and Al Jazeera. She spoke in front of the United Nations, presented at the International Criminal Court in The Hague, and gave her testimony at the Truth Commission in The Gambia. She lives in Toronto, Canada and is studying to become a counselor for assaulted women and children, she travels frequently to Gambia and establishes the Toufah Foundation to help survivors of sexual assault. I’m leading.
Kim Pittaway He is the Executive Director of MFA for the Creative Nonfiction Program at King’s College. She is an award-winning journalist, former editor-in-chief of Chatelaine, and has received the Outstanding Achievement Award from the Canadian National Magazine Awards Foundation. She lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
What was your first thought about this book review? Also, how did Toufah’s experience shape your own view of African women with a strong voice?
